Quotes of the week, July 26, 2007

Here are some of the notable quotes from around Major League Baseball this week:

"It's a reaction. I'll try to stay away from that. I'm a big guy. It's a little tougher for a big guy than little guys ... but I was telling my father it's not too good to just go down to a base (standing up) and they tag you out. I don't play the game that way."

"He was one of the first guys I played with that was a real veteran hitter. Our styles were very similar. We're both analytical. We spent hours talking about the game and at-bats and situations. I very much enjoyed my time playing with him, and I learned a lot from him. It's a shame, because he probably would've had a great career in coaching. It's a sad day.

"He and I both had fathers that were extremely passionate about the game, so we'd share stories all the time about our dads not talking to us after we didn't get a hit. Mike was like a self-admitted grump. It was kind of funny. He'd walk in and say, 'Don't talk to me today. I'm in a bad mood.' But he had such a big heart. Everybody knew he'd give you the shirt off his back. He cared a lot about the game and was a terrific player."

-- Houston Astros second baseman/outfielder Chris Burke on former Minor League teammate Mike Coolbaugh, who died after being struck by a line drive while coaching first base for the Tulsa Drillers.
(Astros.com)

"It's one of those situations where you have to try to adjust right away. The good thing is that there are a lot of tapes that you can watch, and go catch as many bullpens as you can. You catch the ball and work with them. That's what I've been doing all my life."

-- New York Yankees catcher Jose Molina, commenting on learning how to catch the pitchers on the team's pitching staff. The Yankees acquired Molina from the Angels this past weekend.
(Yankees.com)

"I'm probably about 99 percent right now. I'm a little bit sore, but it's nothing big. My legs feel good and I'm fine physically. Right now, it's just about getting right mentally and being ready when I get back with the big club."

-- New York Mets left fielder Moises Alou on how he feels physically in his return to the team from the disabled list.
(Newsday)

"When I'm hitting seventh I'll go in and joke with (manager Bob Melvin), tell him I need to put some cotton swabs in my nose because I'm hitting so high up in the order I'll get a nose bleed. He came up to me today and told me, 'Go get your Kleenex, you're hitting six-hole.'"

-- Arizona catcher Chris Snyder joking about hitting sixth in the lineup for Arizona Monday. Snyder went 2-for-4, including a game-winning single in the sixth inning to the Diamondbacks past Florida, 4-3.
(East Valley Tribune)

"You put somebody else like that in our lineup, a guy like that who mashes, it would be scary. Especially with Chipper [Jones] doing what he's already doing. Chipper would start getting more pitches to hit. If you can add a guy like [Mark Teixeira] and give up a Triple-A player, or a backup or a platoon player to get him, why wouldn't you do it?"

-- Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson on speculation the team is in the running to acquire Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira.
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

"I haven't thought of what I would do. I would love to give him a handshake and say congratulations, but that's his moment and I probably won't bother him if it did happen. That's a special thing he's about to do. We have the same agent and I would love to get a chance to meet him. What he's done is unbelievable."

-- Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla on how he would react if Barry Bonds hit home run number 756 against the Marlins.
(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

"I'm just going to go out there and compete. I know it's going to be a different game. It's going to be faster. I'm excited to see how I match up."

-- Nationals pitcher John Lannan on making his Major League debut on Thursday. Lannan started this season in Single-A ball and has gone a combined 12-3 on the year with stops in Double-A and Triple-A as well.
(Washington Post)

"The thing about James is that he needs to play every day. I don't think he could handle sitting five days."

-- Marion Loney, father of Dodgers first baseman James Loney on his son being courted by teams as a pitcher coming out of high school. The elder Loney said that 26 of the 30 teams viewed his son as a pitcher.
(Los Angeles Times)

"It's not really something I've thought about. I'm just going out there trying to keep the team in the game. The guys go out and play good baseball behind me. They score runs behind me. That helps. I get into a situation where I throw quality pitches in situations and keep opponents away from big innings. If you give up one run, it's OK. If you give up two or three, it's trouble."

-- Giants pitcher Noah Lowry reflecting how run support has helped him to an 11-7 record while teammate Matt Cain sits at 3-12 despite similar totals in innings pitched, strikeouts and ERA.
(San Francisco Chronicle)

"To get him off his feet to rest and be able to get a 'W,' it is big without the big man in there."

-- Angels first baseman Casey Kotchman on the team's 16-hit attack in a 7-6 win over the A's Wednesday with Vladimir Guerrero out of the lineup.
(Los Angeles Times)

"When you've got a dome like mine and ears like mine, you've got to make sure you accomplish some goals before shaving your hair off."

-- Mariners pitcher Jeff Weaver on why he was the only player on the team not to get his hair cut. In an attempt to end a five-game losing streak, the Mariners cut their hair in a show of unity. The losing streak reached six games with a 7-6 loss to the Rangers Wednesday.
(Seattle Times)

"They have a Ping-Pong table in the visitors' locker room. I never knew that."

-- Boston Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp, who returned to play in Cleveland for the first time since being dealt by the Indians to Boston in 2005 (he was hurt when the Red Sox visited the Indians last year), on one of the many things he discovered about being a visitor at Jacobs Field.
(Cleveland Plain Dealer)

"There was more late movement on my fastball and good location. I felt a lot better than I did last time in Florida. I threw (Monday) a complete bullpen and threw with no problem (Tuesday), so I think that's a good sign."

-- Cincinnati Reds reliever Eddie Guardado, on his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Guardado has been throwing bullpen sessions and is likely slated for Triple-A Louisville before having a chance to return to the Reds.
(Cincinnati Post)

"I love it -- it's my favorite position by far. You don't see a lot of 6-foot-5 third basemen. I like to prove that someone my size can play over there. I take a lot of pride in my defense."

-- Detroit Tigers infielder Mike Hessman, who plays both first and third base, on his preference to play third and show what he can do.
(Detroit Free Press)

"It's the part of the year that you hear your name out there. For me, it has been a lot of years I've been hearing my name around this time. I don't give it any importance. I don't read about it."

-- Chicago White Sox pitcher Javier Vazquez, on ignoring the trade rumors that swirl this time of year.
(Chicago Tribune)

"All I can do is control what I can control, and that's my hustle, my effort, my preparation and just continue to get better every day."

-- Chicago White Sox outfielder Jerry Owens, on his efforts to make an impression and stay with the White Sox even as several veterans return from stints on the disabled list.
(Chicago Tribune)